UNIVERSITY SCHOOL

presents the Class of 2014 …

of JACKSON

Below is a sampling of some of the colleges members of the Class of 2014 plan to attend: standing, from left, Zaid Baba, Rhodes College; EthanSelf, Lipscomb University; Ali Graham, Mississippi State University; Claire Jaggers, Samford; Holly Deming, Eckerd College; and Anna Lax,Union University; and seated, Austin Campbell, University of Tennessee, Knoxville; and Monica Subia, University of Panama.

R hodes. Lipscomb. Mississippi State.

Union. UT Knoxville. Washington

University at St. Louis. Samford.

Eckerd. From Harvard and Boston College in New

England to the University of Panama in Latin

America, the 67 members of USJ’s Class of 2014

are attending 28 different colleges.

The College Board selected five students for

National Merit honors; two were named

National Merit finalists. The top 20 percent in the

class had an average ACT score of 32; the class

average ACT score was 28. Twelve members of

the class were named AP Scholars for scores they

received on their Advanced Placement tests.

Offered more than $6 million in academic,

leadership, fine arts, and athletic scholarships,

class members will use more than $2.7 million of

that money to attend college.

Ally Glover is Valedictorian, Govind Bindra is

Salutatorian, and Ben Coffman is Essayist.

w Natalie Allen, captain of the varsity bas-ketball team and member of the varsity vol-leyball team, was the competition chairmanof Science National Honor Society and treas-urer of National Honor Society. She waspresident of Operation Smile Club, SADDClub vice president, treasurer of Interna-tional Club, junior class president, and editorof the 2014 yearbook. A Leadership Univer-sity alum, she graduates with more than 200community service hours. Natalie will majorin pre-dentistry at University of Mississippi. w Eric Arnoldwas a member of the varsityfootball, basketball, baseball, and trackteams. He was named All-District, All-WestTennessee, and All-State for his success onthe football field. Eric was in the choir, nu-merous clubs, and was a volunteer with theDown-Syndrome Teen Club of Jackson. Ericwill major in finance at William Jewell Col-lege where he will play football. w Zaid Baba, AP Scholar with Distinction,was a member of Science National HonorSociety, Sociedad Honoraria Hispanica, MuAlpha Theta, Social Science Honor Society,and National Honor Society. Zaid was pres-ident of the Chemistry Club his junior yearand was active in Spanish Club and band.He traveled to Costa Rica with the USJ Spanishstudy abroad program. Zaid will attend RhodesCollege. w Cal Bigfordwill major in audio engineering atBelmont University. Cal was a member of Tri-M,National Honor Society, and French Club, was vicepresident of Photography Club, and was a contrib-utor to the USJ literary magazine. Cal placed eighthin the State French Exam in 2010. He was a Madi-son County Teen Court Officer, 2011-2013. w Govind Bindra, class salutatorian, NationalMerit Finalist and AP National Scholar, was SGApresident his senior year, SGA parliamentarian hisjunior year, and president of his sophomore class.An Eagle Scout, Govind is a member of several aca-demic honor societies. He placed first in the 2011National French Competition and first in the 2012TMTA Calculus and Advanced Topics math compe-tition. He was a Madison County Teen Court Juror;active in theater, choir and band; and an activemember of the Mid-South SikhAssociation. A Leadership Uni-versity alum, Govind was amember of the varsity crosscountry, track, and soccerteams. Govind attended Gov-ernor’s School for EmergingTechnology. He will attend Har-vard College. w Sarah Bondwill attendJackson State Community Col-lege. She was a Girl Scout anda long-time dancer. Sarah wasactive in theater and choir, amember of the Spanish Club,and a contributor to the USJfashion show.

w Mattie Boyd, AP Scholar, will attend Rhodes.Mattie was president of National Art Honor Societyand a member of several other honor societies.She was active in the arts and participated in theFrench study abroad program. Founder of an after-school art program for Hands Up! preschool, afour-year emergency room volunteer, and four-yearJackson Symphony Ambassador, Mattie graduateswith more than 500 community service hours. w Chris Burton, an Eagle Scout, was a member ofSociedad Honoraria Hispanica, Mu Alpha Theta,Tri-M, and National Honor Society. He was histo-rian of Spanish Club and active in numerous clubs.Chris participated in the Spanish study abroad pro-gram. Active in theater and choir, he was in the2011 All-State Honor Choir and the All-West HonorChoir from 2009 to 2013. He was a member of thevarsity cross country team, track team, and soccerteam. He will major in animation and visual effectsat Savannah College of Art and Design.

w Austin Campbell, junior volun-teer at Jackson-Madison CountyGeneral Hospital, was a memberof Mu Alpha Theta and NationalHonor Society. He received theHonors Biology medal his fresh-man year, the Honors Chemistrycertificate and Honors Spanish IIcertificate his sophomore year,and the AP Biology certificate hisjunior year. He was a member ofthe varsity football team and theSpanish Club. Austin was acceptedinto the Chancellor’s Honor Pro-gram at University of Tennessee,Knoxville. w Hayden Cardwell, a 13-yearUSJ student and member of Span-ish Club, will pursue a military ca-reer after graduation. w Jennylyn Caterina, NationalMerit Commended student andAP Scholar with Distinction, waspresident of Science NationalHonor Society, and a member ofseveral other academic honor so-cieties. She was active in the arts,chemistry and Spanish clubs, and

participated in the Spanish study abroad program.She also participated in numerous USJ and com-munity theater productions. Jennylyn will attendRockford University. w Rebecca Cloar, a dedicated artist, received firstplace and honorable mention in the West Ten-nessee Regional Juried Student Art Competition.Rebecca was named Rising Junior Artist and at-tended Tennessee Governor’s School for VisualArt. She plans to attend Watkins College of Art andDesign. w Will Cobbwas a member of Science NationalHonor Society and Mu Alpha Theta and was histo-rian of National Social Science Honor Society. Willwas selected to the All-West Honor Choir in 2011-2013 and placed first in the TMTA statistics mathcompetition. He played varsity football and soccer,and Jackson Wolves soccer. He was active in FirstUnited Methodist Youth Group and Young Life.Will plans to major in math at Rhodes.

A Double Major Marisa Mariencheck will major in both biology andvocal performance at Washington University in St.Louis. Her education at USJ “has been amazing,” shesaid, adding that she feels quite prepared for the rigorof courses at the academically selective university.She took 10 of USJ’s 15 Advanced Placementcourses. Her defense of her thesis in AP EnglishLiterature taught her how to present herself ina professional setting, she said. She uses her 12 years of private pianoinstruction and six years of voice lessons to beboth an accompanist and a singer in the USJconcert choir. She also teaches Kindermusikclasses at West Jackson Baptist Church.

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Scholarships Neither Ben Coffman nor Leah Sanders will need to worry aboutpaying for their college educations. Both are attending college on fullscholarships. Based on her resume and application, Leah was invited to apply forLouisiana State University’s E. Roe Stamps Scholarship, awarded to thetop five entering freshmen at LSU. She wrote an essay and went throughinterviews. She was awarded the scholarship, valued at $184,000. Besides

paying for books, tuition, and room andboard, it also gives her $14,000 to studyabroad and an extra $2,000 a year forliving expenses. Leah plans to study

petroleum engineering. Ben is attendingthe University ofAlabama at Huntsville

on a full scholarshipworth

$125,000.He willstudyengi-

neering.He’ll also

play soccer.

Five National Merit students. Twelve AP Scholars …

w Ben Coffman, class essayist, NationalMerit Finalist, and AP Scholar withHonor, attended Tennessee Governor’sSchool for Emerging Technology. He re-ceived the Xerox Award for Innovationand Information Technology and the BillMoss Memorial Book Award, and was anAmerican Legion Boys State delegate.Ben placed first in the TMTA Regionalmathematics competition in 2011, 2012,and 2014, and first in the AmericanMathematics Competition in 2012 and2014. Co-captain of the varsity soccerteam, Ben was named to the TennesseeSports Writers Association 2013 All-StateSoccer Team. Ben will major in engineer-ing at University of Alabama in Huntsville and playsoccer. w Will Cooperwill attend Mississippi State Uni-versity. Will was a member of National Honor Soci-ety, Sociedad Honoraria Hispanica, and Mu AlphaTheta, and was treasurer of Science NationalHonor Society. He played football and ran crosscountry and track. He attended the Christian Lead-ership Institute and the National Young LeadersConference. Will organized the logistics for therecord-setting 2014 RIFA food drive. w Jansen Cupples, member of Mu Alpha Theta,received the CP mathematics award his freshmanand junior years. He was a member of the choir,International Club, and Spanish Club. Jansen willmajor in mechanical engineering technology atUniversity of Arkansas in Little Rock. w Haley Daughertywas secretary of SocieteHonoraire de Francais, French Club chaplain, and amember of National Honor Society, Tri-M, choir,SADD Club, Operation Smile Club, and DSA BuddyClub. She was involved in the USJ fashion showand was a co-captain for the junior varsity volley-ball team. She earned a top ten ranking on thestate level in the National French Contest in 2011and 2012. Haley will major in bio-chemistry andpre-pharmacy at UT Knoxville. w Holly Deming, member of the NationalHonor Society and vice president of the Na-tional French Honor Society, participated inthe French study abroad program inFrance. Holly was chairman of the StudentAffairs Committee and secretary of theHonor Council. She was a volunteer at BarnCat Rescue and a peer tutor. Holly will dou-ble major in marine biology and French atEckerd College. w Jacob Denbrock, winner of the Jack-son Chamber of Commerce “This is MyJackson” video contest, will major invideo production at Middle TennesseeState University. Jacob played varsity foot-ball and tennis. He received All-DistrictHonorable Mention in football and wasnamed to the All-West Tennessee Team.He served as production assistant for Va-cation Bible School at Englewood BaptistChurch and served on a mission trip inthe Virgin Islands.

w Nikki Duckworthwas a varsity cheerleaderand member of the track team. She was also amember of the International, SADD, Art, Spanish,Operation Smile, and Photography clubs. She is ac-tive in Young Life and her church youth group andis a volunteer with Runway for a Cure. Nikki plansto attend Birmingham-Southern College whereshe will run track. w Isabella Edwards, president of PhotographyClub, was a member of International Club, ArtClub, Environmental Club, and Spanish Club. She isa freelance photographer and after-school art in-structor. She placed third in the Congressional ArtCompetition. Isabella was a Vacation Bible Schoolleader with her church. She will major in clinicalpsychology at UT Knoxville. w Katie Exumwas a member of Key ServiceClub, SADD Club, and Spanish Club. She playedvarsity basketball and softball. Active in Young Life,Katie is a member of Englewood Baptist Church.Katie will attend Murray State University. w Jessica Garland, member of National ArtHonor Society, was involved in the USJ Art Showand USJ Fashion Show. She was captain of thevarsity cross country team, and was named tothe All-State team in 2011 and 2012. She placedthird in the 2012 TSSAA State Cross Country

Meet. Jessica has completed a semester of collegethrough dual enrollment at Jackson State and willmajor in environmental engineering at UTKnoxville. w Ally Glover, USJ’s 2014 valedictorian, was thefounder and president of USJ’s Down SyndromeAssociation Buddy Club. An AP Scholar with Honor,Ally was awarded Top Research Presentation inChemical Engineering at the University of Ten-nessee High School Introduction to EngineeringSystems. She also was named the Hugh O’BrianYouth Leadership Scholar Grade Representative. Avarsity softball player, Ally was named an All-StatePlayer in 2011 and 2013, was a member of the2010 and 2012 TSSAA State Championship softballteams, and was named to the TN Softball CoachesAssociation All-Academic Team. Ally will major inchemical engineering and minor in French at UTKnoxville.

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A Future NFL Reporter Meredith Maroney will major in journalism and elec-tronic media and Spanish at UT Knoxville. She was thecolor commentator for USJ varsity football on Grace Net-work and a statistician and broadcaster for varsity foot-ball and basketball on WNWS News Talk 101.5 FM. Shealso gives sports analysis with Dan Reeves on the station’sweeknight talk show, The Cheap Seats. Meredith’s goal isto become a sideline reporter in the NFL. “I’ve done a lotof theater at USJ, which has helped my communicationskills and performing skills,” she said.

Harvard Bound Needless to say, Aisha Suara, seated, and Govind Bindra areexcited about attending Harvard College this fall. Both feel thatUSJ prepared them well for the rigors ahead. “USJ gave me a well-rounded education,” said Govind.“Teachers motivate you to push for excellence.” Govind tookadvantage of what USJ offers. He took 12 of USJ’s 15 AdvancedPlacement courses, earning him the top recognition by the CollegeBoard. He ran track and cross country, played soccer, played thesaxophone in the band, and learned leadership skills through hisinvolvement in USJ’s many clubs and honor societies. Aisha’s resume also is impressive. She took nine AP courses andwas active in student government and other groups. “With my APcourses and other classes, I have a good foundation,” she said. “Iwill be at the same level as everyone else at Harvard.”

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‘I Want to Help People’ Haley Daughtery willattend UT Knoxville andstudy biochemistry andpre-pharmacy. She wantsto find a career doingresearch for the U.S.Food and DrugAdministration to helppeople who havediseases thatcannot becured. “Iwant to helppeople,”Haleysaid.

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The Class of 2014: future engineers, wildlife biologists, journalists, educators,

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w Ali Graham, voted Miss USJ by her peers, waschaplain of her class, president of Key Club, concertchoir accompanist, editor of The Paw school news-paper, and active in many organizations at USJ. Alsoan active volunteer, she tutored at RIFA’s Adult Lit-eracy Center and organized Jeans for Jared and therecord-breaking USJ RIFA food drive. Ali, a Leader-ship University alum, was a Volunteer Girls Statedelegate her junior year and was selected as a GirlsState counselor her senior year. She also ran crosscountry. Ali will major in early childhood educationat Mississippi State. w Haley Hall, co-captain of the 2014 varsity bas-ketball team, was selected as the USJ Female Ath-lete of the Year in the Jackson-Madison CountySports Hall of Fame. She was named Varsity SoftballAll-State 2012, All-District 2011-2013, and All-WestTennessee 2012, and Varsity Basketball All-Districtand All-Region 2012-2013. She also ran cross coun-try and played volleyball. She was a member of Na-tional Honor Society, Science National HonorSociety, and Mu Alpha Theta and was yearbook co-editor. Haley will attend University of Alabama. w Laura Harmon was a member of NationalHonor Society, Tri-M, and Sociedad Honoraria His-panica. She participated in the Spanish studyabroad program in Costa Rica. She was active inchoir, Spanish Club, and DSA Buddy Club. Laura willmajor in nursing at UT Knoxville.

w Hunter Harrison, member of National HonorSociety, Mu Alpha Theta, and Sociedad HonorariaHispanica, was a 2013 All-District Honorable Men-tion football player. He participated in InternationalClub and Spanish Club, and was a member of thevarsity track and varsity baseball teams. Active inWest Jackson Baptist Church, he played churchleague basketball. Hunter will attend UT Knoxville. w Charlie Hughes played varsity baseball andfootball, receiving an All-Region Honorable Men-tion. An AP Scholar, he was a member of NationalHonor Society, Science National Honor Society, So-ciedad Honoraria Hispanica, and Mu Alpha Theta.He was involved in theater productions and wasjunior class vice president, Boys State delegate, anda participant in the Spanish study abroad program.Charlie will play football at Rhodes College. w Logan Hughes will attend Mississippi State Uni-versity. He participated in theater and choir produc-tions, was a member of the French Club, andplayed varsity golf and varsity baseball. He receiveda 2013 All-West Tennessee Honorable Mention forhis performance on the baseball field. w Claire Jaggers served as SGA vice president, Na-tional English Honor Society president, Tri-M treas-urer, National Honor Society service chairman, andKey Club historian. Claire also was co-editor of theUSJ literary magazine, founder of the USJ SpiritStore, and a Volunteer Girls State delegate. She was

active in Young Life and Fellowship Student Min-istries. Claire was selected to the All-NorthwestHonor Choir from 2010 to 2014, All-State HonorChoir in 2012, and Quad State Honor Choir in 2013.She was a member of the nationally-ranked USJ var-sity cheer squad in 2012. Claire helped develop the“Be a Better U” anti-bullying assembly series. Shewill major in journalism at Samford University. w Kody Kilburn, treasurer of SADD Club, playedvarsity football, basketball, and baseball. In 2012,Kody received All-District Honorable Mention andwas named to the All-West Tennessee Second Teamin football. In 2013, he was selected to the All-Dis-trict, All-West Tennessee Team, and to play in theWest Tennessee All-Star game. He also received All-West Tennessee Honorable Mention in baseball.Kody will major in kinesiology at UT Knoxville. w Cody Kinniburgh, AP Scholar, was a member ofNational Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, and Sci-ence National Honor Society. He was active in Inter-national Club, Chemistry Club, and Spanish Club. Hereceived the English II Honors award, Algebra IIHonors award, and Geometry Honors award. Codywill major in mathematics at UT Knoxville. w Kesley Kirk was a member of the Spanish Cluband a four-year member of the varsity footballteam. He was named a D-II West All-District Foot-ball Player in 2013. Kesley will attend UT Knoxvillewhere he plans to major in pre-medicine.

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nurses, physicians, businessmen and women, musicians, and psychologists

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w Maddie Koester will major in general businessat Austin Peay State University. She was the Art Clubsecretary her junior and senior years, a Spanish Clubmember, and a contributor to the USJ art show. Shewon third place for her artwork in the West Ten-nessee Regional Juried Art Competition. Maddiewas a member of the TSSAA State Championshipsoccer team and a volunteer at Hands Up!preschool’s after-school art program. w Anna Lax, choreographer of the dance portionof USJ’s “Be a Better U” assembly, was a performingmember and a senior council member of Ballet Arts,Inc. of Jackson, and participated in Ballet Rejoice.

She was Senior Mentoring assistant coordinator, ac-tive in the arts, and a member of the International,SADD, Art, French, and Spanish clubs. Anna plans tomajor in biology at Union University. w Ely Mandle will major in geological engineeringat Ole Miss. President of his senior class and KeyClub officer, Eli was a member of the Spanish Cluband played on the golf team five years. He played inthe TSSAA State Championship for three years. Eliwas selected for the All-Northwest Honor Choir hisfreshman year. Ely was a 2013 Homecoming repre-sentative and was voted Most School Spirited by hispeers.

w Marisa Mariencheck, National Merit Com-mended Scholar and AP Scholar with Distinction,was vice president of Tri-M, treasurer of NationalEnglish Honor Society, secretary of National HistoryHonor Society, a member of several other honor so-cieties, and held offices in several clubs. An avid mu-sician, she received the Six-Year Award for herperformances in the All-Northwest Honor Choir, andplaced in the All-State Honor Choir twice. She wasselected to the NAfME National Mixed Choir, placedin University of Tennessee’s piano competition, andwas selected to participate in the Vocal Perform-ance Summer Program with the director of Opera at

the Univer-sity of NotreDame.Marisa willdoublemajor in biol-ogy andvocal per-formance atWashingtonUniversity inSt. Louis.

Careers in the Arts USJ’s fine arts program covers a broad spectrum, fromphotography, band, and video production classes to theater,choir, and visual arts. Several USJ graduates will pursuecareers in the arts. This includes, from left, Spencer Poole, whowill study music business at Belmont University; JennylynCaterina, who will study theater and math at RockfordUniversity; Chris Burton, who will attend the SavannahCollege of Art and Design and study animation; andJacob Denbrock, who will major in video production atMiddle Tennessee State University and who then plans totransfer to Belmont to complete his degree.

w Meredith Maroney, AP Scholar withHonor, was a member of National HonorSociety and Sociedad Honoraria Hispan-ica. She was president of Social ScienceHonor Society, vice president of SpanishClub, secretary of Tri-M, and chaplain ofNational English Honor Society. Meredithparticipated in the Spanish study abroadprogram. Active in choir, she receivedSolo Ensemble Superior Rating fourtimes. She was first chair in the 2013 All-West Honor Choir, and received a Six-Year Award. She was a participant in the2013 NAfME All-National Honor Choirand the 2012-2014 WTVMEA All-StateHonor Choir. Meredith was a co-orga-nizer of the “Be a Better U” assembly se-ries and the lead actress in several USJmusicals. Meredith will major in journal-ism and electronic media at UT Knoxville. w Banks Mayo, who plans to studyEnglish in college, is undecided about hiscollege choice. Banks was active in the-ater and was a member of the FrenchClub. w Semaye Mengistu was president ofEnvironmental Club, treasurer of MuAlpha Theta, and senior class treasurer.He also was a member of Science Na-tional Honor Society, Sociedad HonorariaHispanica, National Honor Society, and several USJclubs. He was a Science Bowl participant. Semayewill major in biology/pre-medicine at Rhodes. w Brette Moore, president of the French Club,participated in the French study abroad program.She is a member of the Art Club and OperationSmile Club, and was a contributor in the USJ fash-ion show. She runs a social justice blog and partici-pates in online activism. Brette will major inwildlife biology at Mississippi State University. w Christophe Nabhan, AP Scholar with Honor,was president of Sociedad Honoraria Hispanicaand was a member of several other honor soci-eties. Christophe was active in theater and choir,selected for All-West choir twice and All-StateChoir. He has a black belt in tae kwon do and was

an accomplished soccer player both at USJ and inclub league. Christophe was selected to theAll-Region Soccer Team, Best of the West All-Tour-nament team, and the Olympic Development Pro-gram soccer team. Christophe will major inpre-medicine at Boston College. w Gram Northern, a member of several aca-demic honor societies, will major in chemical engi-neering and minor in business and Spanish at UTKnoxville. Gram was treasurer of the Spanish Cluband participated in the Spanish study abroad pro-gram. Gram ran cross country and was captain ofthe USJ inline hockey team. Co-captain and MVPof the Germantown Red Devils ice hockey team,Gram was the 2013 Mid-South Ice Hockey HighSchool League scoring leader.

w Harrison Norton will attend MTSU. He wasa member of the 2013 TSSAA State Champi-onship runner-up varsity tennis team and wasalso the individual TSSAA State Championshiptennis runner-up. Harrison was a member of theUSJ choir and played church league basketballand inline hockey. w Austin Orr, who was voted Mr. USJ by hispeers, was captain of the varsity football team,speaker of the Honor Council, president of theSpanish Club, new student ambassador, and par-ticipant in the Spanish study abroad program.He was named to the All-State Honor Choirtwice. Successful in football, baseball, and bas-ketball, he was the USJ Male Athlete of the Yearin the Jackson-Madison County Sports Hall ofFame. Austin was named the 2013 D-II West Of-fensive Football Player of the Year and selectedto the Tennessee Sports Writers Association All-State Football Team. Austin will play baseball atUnion University, where he will major in pre-medicine. w Joseph Patterson was varsity football co-captain and Co-Defensive Player of the Year in2013. Also succeeding in varsity baseball andbasketball, Joseph was voted “Most Athletic” byhis peers. He was a member of the 2012 TSSAAState Championship baseball team and the 2011state championship runner-up football team.Joseph was named to the Tennessee Sports

Writer’s All-State Team, the Division II-A West AllDistrict Team, and the All-West Tennessee Team in2012 and 2013. Joseph will play football at Missis-sippi College. w Spencer Poole, an avid musician, will majorin music business at Belmont University. Spencerwas active in the choir, band, and Spanish Club,and was a contributor to the USJ literary magazineand USJ fashion show. He is often hired to play gui-tar professionally at events. Spencer was selectedto the All-West Jazz Band for guitar and attendedGovernor’s School for the Arts in classical guitar.

w Drew Presson, a member of the varsity golfteam, plans to major in computer science at Jack-son State. He was instrumental in media produc-tion with Lighthouse Church and aided with video

production upgrades in his USJ broad-casting class. Drew amassed morecommunity service hours than anyother USJ senior and will receive theCommunity Service Award. w Lauren Randolph will major inEnglish and minor in French and artat Rhodes. She is a three-year repre-sentative on the Honor Council, vicepresident of the National FrenchHonor Society, co-editor of the year-book, and president of NationalFrench Honor Society. Lauren re-ceived a Silver Key in the 2014Scholastic Art Competition, and sheattended Tennessee Governor’sSchool for the Arts. She served onthe Jackson-Madison County YouthCourt.

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‘Be a Better U’ Carlee Workman won a “Be a Buddy Not a Bully”scholarship from the Carl Joseph Walker-HooverFoundation for her artwork that raises awareness aboutbullying. She also donated two of her pieces to raise moneyfor the organization. Carlee was one of the leaders of theUSJ Student Government Association’s “Be a Better U”campaign, which sought to end bullying and promoteaccountability and character on campus. “People don’trealize the effects of their words and actions,” she said. “I

just wanted to put my artwork outthere and let it speak for itself.”Carlee will attend UT Knoxvillewhere she will major in pre-

pharmacy and minor in art.

Collectively, USJ graduates were offered more than $6 million in college scholarships

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At Your Service Mattie Boyd, who will attend Rhodes College, graduates USJ with more than 500 hours of communityservice. She is a four-year emergency room volunteer and Jackson Symphony Ambassador. Mattie also foundedthe after-school art program at Hands Up! preschool. “We try to teach the children about different styles ofpainting , as well as artists and movements in the art world,” she said. “Some of them have really developed agreat passion for the arts.” Her goal is to become a surgeon and live in France.

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w Patrick Richardson, a member of the varsitytrack and cross country teams, was active in choir,Chemistry Club, Spanish Club, and DSA BuddyClub. He was a member of Science NationalHonor Society, Socidedad Honoraria Hispanica,Mu Alpha Theta, and National Honor Society.Patrick plans to major in pre-medicine at Rhodes. w Austin Rogers, a Leadership Universityalum, was a member of the Science NationalHonor Society, Sociedad Honoraria Hispanica,Mu Alpha Theta, National Honor Society, andseveral clubs. He placed second in the TMTAmath competition. Austin was an active mem-ber of his youth group at West Jackson BaptistChurch. Austin, a varsity football player, wasnamed All-District in 2013. He will major in pre-medicine at Union University. w Kayla Rohlwing plans to major in pre-den-tistry at Mississippi State. She was active in SADD,Art, French, Operation Smile, and DSA Buddyclubs, and was involved in the USJ fashion show.Kayla was a member of National Honor Societyand was chaplain of National French Honor Soci-ety her junior year. w Sheffiga Rose was a member of National ArtHonor Society and Mu Alpha Theta. She was in-volved with theater productions and the USJ artand fashion shows. Chaplain of Operation SmileClub her junior year, Sheffiga was a member ofseveral clubs. Sheffiga will major in biology at Uni-versity of Alabama at Birmingham. w Hannah Russell, AP Scholar, will major in bio-molecular engineering/pre-medicine and minor

in Spanish at UTKnoxville. She was presi-dent of National Honor Society, treasurer of So-ciedad Honoraria Hispanica, chaplain of Tri-M,SGA historian, secretary of her junior class, andvice president of the DSA Buddy Club. She was aMadison County Youth Court Juror. Hannah par-ticipated in the Spanish study abroad program.An enthusiastic musician, Hannah was a four-yearWTVMEA Solo Ensemble Superior Vocalist, a four-year Fall Festival Excellent/Superior Pianist, and afour-year member of the All-Northwest Choir. w Leah Sanders was an AP Scholar, SGA treas-urer, yearbook business manager, Chemistry Clubpresident, vice president of National ScienceHonor Society, and active in other USJ organiza-tions. She was a member of Madison CountyTeen Court. Leah placed first in the HITES engi-neering competition at the University of Ten-nessee and was chosen to attend the MITEengineering program at the University of Texas.Leah plans to major in petroleum engineering atLouisiana State University where she received theStamps Scholar Award. w Ethan Self, an Eagle Scout, will major in law,justice, and society at Lipscomb University. Ethanwas president of SADD Club, vice president of Op-eration Smile Club, and treasurer of InternationalClub. He was a member of National Art Honor So-ciety and the Key Service, Art, and Spanish clubs.He was a designer in the USJ fashion show and aco-editor of the USJ literary magazine. Ethan wasactive in Fellowship Student Ministries.

w Hunter Smith, varsity basketball captain andvolunteer basketball coach for a youth team, wasnamed Most Improved Player and Most Congen-ial. He was a member of International, Key Serv-ice, SADD, Spanish, and Operation Smile clubs. Hewas active in West Jackson Baptist Church youthgroup and Young Life. He will attend UT Knoxville. w Whitson Smith was president of Tri-M, amember of Science National Honor Society andseveral clubs, and active in band and theater.Whitson was captain of the cross country teamand co-captain of the track and field team. Hewas active in Fellowship Student Ministries. Whit-son will major in pre-law at UT Knoxville. w Jessi Smith was a member of several clubsand served on the yearbook staff. Co-captain ofthe varsity basketball team, she received All-Dis-trict Honorable Mention. She played varsity vol-leyball and ran track, and was active in Young Lifeand West Jackson Baptist youth group. Jessi willattend University of Tennessee, Chattanooga.

The Buddy Club Ally Glover, class valedictorian, founded theBuddy Club, which provides opportunities forstudents to volunteer with the Down SyndromeAssociation of West TN. She said it’s been oneof the most rewarding experiences of her life.“I’ve sought to encourage students to dignifyothers, and that is truly what the club has beenabout from day one,” she said. “I’ve beenoverwhelmed by the hearts of USJ students;they have shown such an enthusiasm at everyevent and meeting the club has had.” Ally willmajor in chemical engineering and minor inFrench at UT Knoxville.

Earning Money for College Isabella Edwards, president of USJ’s PhotographyClub, has juggled her school activities and studies witha part-time job to earn money for college. During theschool year, she worked for M and M Consignment.

She’s also a freelance photographer and a volunteer,after-school art instructor. This summer, she will

be a full-time teller at a local bank. Isabellawill attend UT Knoxville and major in clini-

cal psychology. ”USJ is a great school,” shesaid. “It gives you so many opportunitiesto do what you want to do.”

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College Football and Baseball Players Each year, several graduates sign to play sports at the college level. Collegeathletes this year include, from left, Charlie Hughes, who will play football atRhodes College; Eric Arnold, who will play football at William Jewell College;Joseph Patterson, who will play football at Mississippi College; and Austin Orr,who will play baseball at Union University.

A Foreign Exchange Student Lucas Ortega, a foreign exchange student from SãoPaulo, Brazil, also will go through graduation with theclass. He will return to Brazil in July after spending ayear in the United States. He plans to go to college inSão Paulo next year. At USJ, Lucas played soccer andmade several friends. “My life has changed,” he said.“I’m a better person. But I missmy family and friends. It’sbeen a long time.”

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w Leah MargaretStrope, varsitycheerleading cap-tain, was named a2012 All-AmericanCheerleader andwas a member ofthe 2010-2012 Re-gional Cheerlead-ing Championshipteam and wonother accolades asa member of thecheerleadingsquad. Leah Margaret served as secretary of herclass, vice president of Key Club, historian of DSABuddy Club, and secretary of National Honor Soci-ety, National Spanish Honor Society, and SADDClub. Leah Margaret will major in communicationsciences and disorders at Ole Miss. w Aisha Suara, AP Scholar with Distinction, wasvice president of Mu Alpha Theta, a member ofseveral academic honor societies, SGA parliamen-tarian her senior year, and SGA recording secre-tary her junior year. Aisha was the percussionsection leader in the USJ band. She was a Volun-teer Girls State delegate and attended Governor’sSchool for Emerging Technologies. She receivedthe 2013 University of Rochester Frederick Dou-glas and Susan B. Anthony Award. Aisha volun-teered at Jackson-Madison County GeneralHospital and was a member of her youth groupwith Muslim Youth Network of Tennessee. Aishawill major in chemistry at Harvard College. w Monica Subia was a member of the Art Club,French Club, and Photography Club. She ran crosscountry and track. Monica was a contributor inthe USJ fashion show. She plans to major in pre-dentistry at the University of Panama.

w Graham Taylor, a Tennessee Ameri-can Legion Boys State delegate, willmajor in accounting at UT Knoxville. Hewas a member of Sociedad HonorariaHispanica and Mu Alpha Theta. He wascaptain of the football team. Grahamwas named an All-State tennis player,was the TSSAA State Championshipdoubles runner-up, and was a memberof the TSSAA State Championship run-ner-up team. w Hensley Underwood transferred toUSJ her senior year. She is a LeadershipUniversity alum and member of MuAlpha Theta. Hensley is active in YoungLife. She will major in diet and nutritionat Ole Miss. w Alyssa Willis was a member of SADD, Art,French, Operation Smile, and DSA Buddy clubs,and was involved in the USJ fashion show. Alyssawas a member of the varsity track team and thevolleyball team, receiving All-West Tennesseehonorable mention. Alyssa will major in athletictraining at MTSU. w Carlee Workman was vice president of Na-

tional Honor Society, SGA secretary, National Sci-ence Honor Society chaplain and National ArtHonor Society chaplain, and a member of MuAlpha Theta. She attended Governor’s School forthe Arts. Carlee was a contributor in the USJ artand fashion show. She was a varsity cheerleaderand ran track. She will major in pre-pharmacy atUT Knoxville.

Academics | Fine Arts | Athletics | Character Education731.660.1692 | usjbruins.org | 232/240 McClellan Rd. | Jackson

West Tennessee’s College Preparatory School

Community Service Many students go way beyond USJ’s requirement of 50 hours of community service tograduate. Among them are Leah Margaret Strope, from left, Drew Presson, and NikkiDuckworth, who collectively have 1,736 hours of communityservice. Drew, with 822 hours, spent most of that timevideotaping services at Lighthouse Church.Leah Margaret, who has 532 hours, hasbeen a camp counselor and a volunteerfor her church, First Baptist inBolivar, and helped raise money forseveral causes. Nikki, with 382hours, has spent much of her timevolunteering at Hollywood ClubCanine. “I just like helping peopleand animals,” she said.

Their Blood Runs Orange! For Gram Northern and Hannah Russell, UT Knoxville is afamily tradition. “I have more than 25 family members through fourgenerations who have either graduated or are currently enrolled inUTK,” Gram said. “I was raised a Vol and always will be one, and Iam very grateful to my parents for exposing me to this passion.” Hannah’s parents, grandparents, aunt, uncle, cousin, and brotherhave graduated from UTK, and her sister is a junior there. “I guessyou could say I have orange in my blood,” she said. “Since I canremember, I have been in orange shirts and screaming, ‘Go Vols!’ Ireally feel at home there, even though it’s five hours away. I’m so glad Ican carry on the tradition.” Gram will major in chemicalengineering and minor inbusiness and Spanish. Hannahwill major in bio-molecularengineering and pre-medicineand minor in Spanish.

Singer, Soccer Player Christophe Nabhan is a greatexample of a student who has exploredUSJ’s opportunities. One day, he’s astand-out varsity soccer player, whoalso was named to Tennessee’sOlympic Development Programteam. The next day, he’s starringas Tarzan in the Upper Schoolmusical. He also was involved inseveral USJ organizations. “I’ve reallytried to take advantage of all theactivities at USJ,” he said. Christophewill study pre-med at Boston College. Ready for College

Sheffiga Rose figures that with the challengingacademics she has had at USJ, she will find success incollege. A student at USJ since seventh grade, Sheffiga will

attend theUniversity ofAlabama atBirmingham.Her passion,she says, ismedicine. Shewants tobecome acardiologist.

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